The ocean floor was not quiet.
It whispered.
The deeper Hari walked into the Forgotten Citadel, the more the walls sang in a language not meant for mortals.
Not words.
Not thoughts.
But echoes.
Memories long erased… still alive.
---
> [SYSTEM ALERT: UNRECOGNIZED CODE ZONE]
WARNING: You are now outside of all recorded zones.
Compatibility: 12%
Proceed at your own risk.
---
Hari stepped through the broken archway of the drowned gate.
The citadel was titanic — pillars carved from obsidian coral and infused with flickering veins of living gold. Giant humanoid statues stood half-buried in the seabed, crowned in barnacle-covered helms, their eyeless sockets glowing faint blue.
> "This was a world before worlds."
He could feel it.
The pressure. The eyes. The watching.
---
Suddenly, the system froze.
Menus shattered into glitchy symbols. The interface turned from blue… to red.
And something else appeared.
> [ANCIENT PROTOCOL: PRIMORDIAL THREAD ACCESS REQUESTED]
Identity Match: 34.9%… 68.2%… 91.7%…
ACCESS GRANTED.
> Welcome, Heir of the Blood Eclipse.
Hari's eyes widened.
Before him, a spectral shape rose from the shattered throne at the center of the Citadel.
A man in tattered void-armor. Hair like starlight. Eyes like broken moons.
The voice echoed inside Hari's skull.
> "So… you've come."
---
Memory Echo Initiated…
Hari's vision blurred. Time unraveled.
He was no longer standing on the ocean floor.
He was inside a memory.
The first Blood Eclipse — the one who defied the gods — stood surrounded by corpses of angels, devils, and creatures that bled starlight.
The sky above was torn like parchment. Systems malfunctioned. Realms fell.
> "They called me a monster."
> "But I was just the first one to say no."
---
Hari gasped as he returned.
The ghost looked directly at him now.
> "You've awakened the Eclipse blood without guidance."
"That's why the system is breaking."
"It was never meant for us."
Hari asked one word.
> "Us?"
The specter raised his hand.
And from the shadows behind him—hundreds of flickering silhouettes rose.
Men. Women. Beasts. Monsters.
> All wearing the mark of the Eclipse.
---
> "We were the Rejected."
> "Those who evolved too far. Too fast."
"So they made this prison—this sunken tomb—to erase us."
The ghost stepped forward.
> "But your awakening has unlocked the seal."
"They know now. The Gods of the System."
> "They will send the Weavers."
---
Hari's heart pounded.
> "Let them send whatever they want."
> "I'm not just a player."
> "I'm the one who breaks the game."
---
The memory shattered.
Hari collapsed to his knees, gasping.
His system rebooted.
> [UNIQUE QUEST CHAIN UNLOCKED]
Title: Echo of the Rebellion
Objective: Discover the Fate of the Eclipse Heirs
Reward: Blood Ascension Path – Tier II Unlocked
> [New Skill Obtained: Void Pulse]
• Emits a shockwave that deletes all minor system interfaces and illusions within 20 meters.
Cooldown: 3 minutes.
---
He stood.
And this time, when he looked up at the drowned throne…
It was empty.
But a single word echoed across the citadel.
> "Run."
---
Far above the sea, deep in the floating palaces of the upper realms…
A council of golden-robed figures stared at a blinking crimson sigil on their godstone.
One of them hissed:
> "The seal… has cracked."
"The Eclipse Heir walks free."
A towering figure turned away from the others.
Cloaked in shifting light. No face. Only threads.
The First Weaver spoke:
> "Then we unravel him."
---
To be continued in Chapter 20: The Weavers Ascend
---